Ballet Music

I want to tell "L'oisau de feu" and "The Nutcracker".

L'oisau de feu

Stravinsky composed "L'oisau de feu". The performance time is about 42 minutes.

The first part

･Story

 Phoenix appears. Phoenix begins to dance. Phoenix is finally captured by the prince Ewan. The prince Ewan lets Phoenix go by dancing this entreaty. 13 princesses put on magic show up. Free time of princesses ends when daybreak approaches. It enters the castle gate of Kaschei. The monster appears, and the prince Ewan is captured. The devil appears. Phoenix appears. The monster is made to hear the baby-sitter song. After, Kaschei dies.

･Progressing of music

 It starts from the rhythm by the pizzicato of the percussion instrument and the cello. The horn symbolizes the prince Ewan. The phrase of the oboe symbolizes the prince Ewan's appearance. The subject of the dance of Phoenix appears to the woodwind. It divides into an unstable melody, and the stringed instrument and the woodwind perform this alternately. This composed three parts. The motif caused by the clarinet shows the princesses' appearance. It is possible to hang, and the motif with an eerie piccolo and flute is performed. In the scene of the death of Kaschei, it is symbolized with the bassoon, the tympani, and cymbals. A cold melody is played with the viola and the  violin.

The second part

･Story

 The castle and the magic of Kaschei disappear. Knights made a stone revive.

･Progressing of music

 The subject of the horn appears to the tremolo of the stringed instrument. It is performed with all musical instruments through the flute as the violin repeats this. The scene of the coda is grandly performed with the trumpet, the trombone, and the tuba. Afterwards, the finale is received with all musical instruments.

・L'Oiseau de Feu-All act- (49:48)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_MltLpFCl4

The Nutcracker

 

Tchaikovsky composed "The Nutcracker". He is born in Russia in 1840. The performance time was about 45 minutes in the first act and about 45 minutes in the second act.

The first act

The first

1:Scene－The Christmas Tree

  ・Mr. and Mrs. Stael decorate the Christmas tree with the servant for the preparation of the party.

  This music is 4/4 rhythms in the allegro. The woodwind expresses the light of the candle. The children's appearance is shown by performing the tympani.

2: March

 ・ Children dance around the Christmas tree.

  This music is 4/4 rhythms. The clarinet and the brass instrument perform the melody like the fanfare. The violin expresses children's movement.

3: Children’s Galop and Entrance of the Parents

　・A new customer appears. Then, children dance further blithely.

  The violin performs the galop of 2/4 rhythms. Afterwards, it is shown that the guest came to the hall in the minuet of 3/4 rhythms.

4: Dance Scene

  ・Drosselmeyer elderly person comes. The elderly person takes out the doll with setting the spring. The harlequin of the soldier doll begins to dance with Columbine of girl's doll.

  Drosselmeyer elderly person's appearance is performed with the viola and the trombone. When the elderly person takes out soldier's doll, comical is expressed in the waltz of 3/4 rhythms.

5: Scene and Dance

  ・Children try to take the bedroom the doll. The elderly person hands The Nutcracker. Children start the scramble for the doll. Flit is angry, it throws out to the floor, and it destroys it.

  This music is 6/8 rhythms in the andante. The place where the elderly person puts out The Nutcracker is performed by a bright melody.

6: Scene－Invited Guest's Coming Home and Night

  ・The party ends. She timidly approaches The Nutcracker. The mouse appears. The Christmas tree becomes a gigantic tree. In addition, the soldier doll appears, and it begins to walk in the room.

  The clarinet and the bassoon have expressed Clara's fear. The piccolo shows rat's movement.

7: Scene－The Nutcracker and Rat's Kings' Fights

  ・The soldier doll begins to fight against the mouse. Clara helps when the doll is attacked, and the doll wins. And, Clara is invited to the country of the cake that helped reward.

  The comical scene that seems to be the combat of march trumpet and soldier's shouts and report of a gun, etc. is expressed. When dolls win victory, a graceful melody is performed.

The second

8: Scene－Dance of Pine Woods / 9: Waltz of the Snowflakes

 ・ The energy of the snow meets it. The energy of the snow prince begins to step a waltz with the queen.

  The harp accompanies the arpeggio. The violin repeats the subject. Afterwards, a waltz fantastic the syncopation of the flute is expressed.

The second act

10: Scene－Castle of Magic in Country of Cake

　・It enters the castle of magic in the country of the cake more and more.

  The woodwind performs the subject, and the appearance that enters the castle of magic is shown.

11: Scene－Appearance of Clara and Prince

 ・ Meeting the energy of queen Confetti candy is received. The prince speaks the person to whom one owes one's life Clara. Clara is welcomed.

  The duet of the celesta, the harp, the clarinet, and the bassoon is alternately performed. When music becomes an allegro, the combat with the rat is reproduced. It is expressed that Clara is welcomed by the fanfare.

12: Divertissement

 ・ It is welcomed by dancing the dance of the dance of the dance of the dance of the dance of Spain and Arabia and China and Russia and the reedy pipes and harlequins.

  The dance of Spain is a bolero. The trumpet performs the melody. The violin performs a main melody to the dance of Arabia. Dances of China are 4/4 rhythms. The flute performs a main melody. Dances of Russia are 2/4 rhythms. The violin performs a main melody. Dances of the reedy pipe are 2/4 rhythms. The flute performs the melody. Dances of the harlequin are 2/4 rhythms. The violin performs a main melody.

13: Waltz of the Flowers

・The energy of Confetti candy dance in magnificence.

This music is famous. The horn performs the subject. The clarinet succeeds the subject.

14: Pas de Deux

・ The energy of Confetti candy dances with the prince of The Nutcracker.

  This is composed of four. It is a composition of adagio, tarantella, tarantella 2, and the coda.

15: Waltz Finale and Apotheosis

  ・All members dance lively. Clara who wore the crown is blest by people in the country of the cake.

  This music is a waltz of 3/4 rhythms. Ten subjects appear at the end, it becomes apotheosis, and the finale is received.


・The Nutcracker-All act- (1:41:38)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6R9KFCzurg&list=UU11mor-YyQss50NThfIsAgw&index=1